Living in central London thrust us into contact with quite an interesting crowd - a crowd we are not used to bumping into.
Prior to our move to London, Dave warned me that "we really shouldn't be living here" and that we were a "bit over our heads".
Not really understanding what he meant, I shrugged all that off.
Now, after three years, I guess I know what he was talking about.
My simple tips on how to "stay grounded":
-get outside and hit the green spaces as much as possible
-keep life simple
-others will be afflicted with major affluenza, stay away so you don't catch the disease yourself
-write a blog entry (voila!) of all the things that have shocked you (the wealth, fame, etc. - unknown in our homeland circles)
Here's your new home - all 500 square feet of it!
It all starts with London housing prices. To live in central London, you either need to be in Council Housing (aka subsidized housing/social housing), be ridiculously wealthy, or have some sort of housing allowance. We fell into the last category. As ex-pats, we were offered a certain amount of money to cover part of our housing. When we began looking at what we could afford for that amount, we realized we would need to supplement quite a bit if we wanted something more than a one-bedroom flat. Our first place was quite small, a 3-bedroom townhome. We soon found out we were over-paying for it, and at the end of the one year lease, we searched and found our current place for slightly more money but twice the space. A fantastic decision. But while we lived there, we had to walk many times a week up a gorgeous street called Avenue Road, where the mansions are jaw-dropping. One in particular seemed to be well-guarded - there was always a weapon-yielding security man posted, sometimes more than one. We learned it is the home of the Israeli Ambassador. A couple of recently renovated homes on Avenue Road have been on the market for 80million GBP (a bit over 132 million dollars, but who is counting?). It's really convenient that there is a large indoor pool as well as underground parking for 15 vehicles. You can also rent a more modest mansion on the street, at a mere 25,000 GBP per week (that'd be about $42,000)....for the week (I repeat).
The American Ambassador lives in an Estate in Regent's Park, which is the 2nd largest private home in London. After Buckingham Palace! We were invited to the Ambassador's home for a parent reception and I must admit, I felt pretty important that day, ha! During the Olympics in the summer of 2012, students from the school were invited to participate in some celebratory events there, which included famous athletes, the Obamas, and even David Beckham.
Celebrity encounters....
Our first place was near Primrose Hill Park. Primrose Hill attracts quite the celebrity crowd. Kate Moss and Jude Law are among the famous former residents. Current residents include Gwyneth Paltrow, Sadie Frost, Gwen Stefani....of course the most famous current resident is One Direction's Harry Styles.
Friends of ours sometimes end up at the playground with Gwen Stefani and her children. People say that they see Sacha Baron Cohen in the area, dressed in bohemian "I'm not a celebrity" style fashion.
Paul McCartney lives in St Johns Wood, on Cavendish Avenue, and some mums from school have actually done yoga with him at the Cricket Club. Many people I know have seen him locally. Our son is a huge fan of Paul, and recently worked on a biography of him for school. While he was working on it, one of his classmates said, "Oh, I see Mr. Paul all the time, our moms are friends". Yes, of course!
I have not had regular encounters with celebrities. Some people seem to see them regularly, or just have them as friends. During a conversation another parent just mentioned "Well when we were at dinner with Jamie Oliver..." and continued blah, blah, blah...I had to hit my head to keep following the conversation. Ok, so I have had a couple of celebrity spottings myself. Once I walked across the street with Emma Thompson. And on two occasions I saw Gwyneth Paltrow at the local leisure centre - once I almost ran into her, literally. She looks amazing - just like in the photos. Helen Bonham Carter and Tim Burton live in Belsize Park, just a short walk from here, and apparently have a genius living arrangement where they essentially each have their own home with a connecting area between the two homes for common family space. Sounds brilliant!
At a school coffee recently I was chatting away with a couple who were talking about being in London for the "entertainment" business. Later I learned that I had been having coffee with an Academy Award winning director who is currently working on the Mission Impossible 5 movie - lovely people!
Parents at our children's school are award-winning writers, rock-star band members, hedge-fund owners, traders, bankers, West-End stars, CEO of premier league football clubs, oil executives, heiress of massive Indian realty estates, dignitaries, etc. etc. etc. And then there are a handful of us at the school who are nobody important (it's not such a bad thing, really...who wants to manage all that staff anyways), or here with the US Foreign Service, or teachers at the school itself! It is a fascinating mix!
Money money honey!
Yes there is money money money in this city. Stuff doesn't phase us anymore. Like all the luxury cars - the Ferraris, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Rolls Royces....they just become part of the scenery. Meanwhile we schlep around town on our own two feet, scooters, bikes and city buses. Ok, sometimes the tube or a private hire car....
But the conversations are what really fascinate me.
You overhear people talking about their travels to the Maldives, their Safaris, and their catered Ski Chalet holiday.
Their properties to which they don't even have time to visit.
You find out they are wondering if they should consider having the family fly coach class - so the kids know what it is like - because of course, they have never traveled anything but first class.
When your child comes home from a playdate and tells you that there are elevators and butlers and drivers at the friend's house.
When someone asks you about your "staff" and you truly, really do not have any.
When your child goes to a birthday party and comes home with a party "favor" that is three times nicer and more expensive than the actual birthday gift you offered.
When the bar-mitzvahs and bat-mitzvahs are so over-the-top, at the most exclusive London locations, with pop stars as entertainment, like Pixie Lot.
When you learn that someone who moves here from India has never ever carried her own groceries before.
Our neighbors are interesting and wonderful people. Across the street, the children go to school with the Beckhams (at Wetherbys), yes, it's the same school Prince William and Harry attended. Another neighbor's husband works in Dubai. But the family resides here, and he comes home most weekends. She doesn't cook, so she has a daily chef. Next door is a lovely couple who have lived all over the globe. They don't have children, so she enjoys traveling the globe on her own while her husband is busy working. She has nice staff who tend to her home. Sometimes she comes to yoga and pilates classes with me at the leisure centre. Last year, a lovely American Embassy couple lived on our street, and they lived to travel. They went on 20-30 trips per year. They had a map in their entry way that was covered with pins marking their travels. And when they are not traveling, they are attending shows - about 200 per year. It's amazing the things you can do if you don't have children! Currently there are a few other Embassy families on our street who are in similar boots to ours, and they're very down to earth.
We have a very nice man (who we believe is homeless) as a friend. He is at our leisure centre every morning with his large bags. We see him so much, he's like a friend. We always greet him and sometimes make small talk. He reads the London Financial Times and passes the day in the library. He'll tell you his car is parked a ways off, and that he is working on his pension. But I'm not so sure. He's friendly and doesn't ever beg or cause any trouble. He's just there. Every day. And has been for a couple of years now.
It is all very, very interesting. Stuff that we will never forget, for sure.
And we fully accept and embrace the fact that deep down inside, we are small-town Minnesota folk and that is never gonna change.
